On My Way - Eve Langlais Page 0,70

marred my line.

Of more interest was who’d suddenly appeared.

“Kane? What are you—”

“Duck.” He kicked my ankles out from under me, startling a squeak.

I hit the ground in a puff of snow, ate a little bit of it, blinked it out of my eyes. I rolled and, as I rose to my feet, saw silvery eyes, low and menacing, only feet away. The muzzle of the lone beast drawing back over massive teeth was a particularly frightening touch.

“Good dog?” I said. It kind of looked like Herbie, Darryl’s dog, but bigger, meaner, and eyeballing me as if I might be delicious. More ominous than its presence? The silence.

Not even a rumbling growl. What was it? A wolf? Something else? Perhaps a real Hell Hound.

“Did no one ever teach you to never go into the woods at night?” said Kane at my back.

It reassured to know he stood with me, and I was almost tempted to peek, but that didn’t seem prudent with this beast getting ready to bite me and eat my juicy bits.

“Stick close to me,” Kane ordered.

It seemed like sound advice until I heard a battle at my rear. Did he fight off a wolf? Or something worse? I couldn’t help but wonder what had emerged from the lake.

The wolf thing I faced paced forward, and I took a step back. “Kane?”

The wolf had brought some friends. They spilled out from between the trees, ominously stalking, their silvery eyes glinting.

“Kind of busy,” he grunted.

I cast a quick glance over my shoulder and wished I hadn’t. Whatever he faced, it was definitely not the three-headed monster of my dreams. The thing heaving from the lake was more a blob the size of an elephant with tentacles. Its thick appendages, at least five that I could see, slithered at Kane. He kept them at bay by slicing with a sword.

Hold on just a second. Kane with a sword? Fighting off a monster? Meaning he knew about them.

“What is that?” I yelled.

“Monster,” was his helpful reply as he ducked and then jabbed. Only to go flying as the sword dug into flesh. He held on as the tentacle lifted him.

Then I had no idea what happened to him because instinct had me turning around in time to see a furry body leap for me. The scream that erupted from my lips hit decibels that should have killed it. I barely had time to put my hands out, and it hit me. My palms flat on its furry chest were the only things that kept those jaws from crunching my head.

Bad. So bad. Holy shit bad. I had less than a second to figure it out before this thing ate my face.

A second that felt like an eternity as I struggled to find a way out. The body pressed down on me and the open maw loomed a little closer, the breath cold, colder than I would have expected.

And familiar.

It woke a similar chill inside me, a frigid presence that raced through my body and jolted out of my hands.

Then it happened, the same thing that I’d experienced on the street. My palms began to burn, colder than before. So chilled and yet, at the same time, it burned.

The wolf-thing atop me yelped and twisted away. Crystals of ice fell as it galloped, whimpering. Hurt.

I managed to scramble to my feet, holding out my glowing hands. White with a hint of blue.

Oh boy.

I aimed them in front of me, terrified to bring them close to my body. What if I burned myself? Was it even possible? What was happening? Why were my hands like freaking glow balls when fisted? The very flesh itself glowed.

I might have panicked more, but the wolves, ignoring their injured pack mate, had regrouped and advanced on me. I’d been brave enough. I wanted someone with an actual weapon. Glowing hands in front of me, I turned and ran for Kane.

“My hands are on fire!” I yelled. I’d always told Winnie shouting fire was the best way to get attention. Which was weird in a sense because people would then be looking for smoke, not a little girl getting kidnapped.

“You’re fine. Use the magic!” Kane bellowed, heaving his sword. He missed, mostly because the tentacle stopped mid-strike and hovered in the air.

The tip of one quivered and pivoted in my direction. The blob with arms ignored Kane and humped for me.

Oh. Hell. No.

I froze in place. I held out my hands with no idea what would happen. I turned